Empire State Development Interview Questions
& Process

This was one of the more disheartening interview experiences I've had during my job search. The hiring manager set up an interview with me and I met with 4 individuals from the organization for an hour interview. Afterwards, they told me I would hear from them in a week regarding next steps. I reached out 2 weeks later when I hadn't heard from them, inquiring about what I could expect as far as next steps, or if they had chose to pursue other candidates. I never received a response, and later saw that they had reposted the listing on LinkedIn. Responding to candidates, even to let them know you are pursuing other applicants, is better than promising contact only to not reach out or respond to inquiries.

The process was smooth. I heard back about 2 weeks after submitting my info to HR for an initial interview. The first interview was a group of three on the team that did round robin questions. Their energy was great and I was very comfortable. They asked if I was ok with my references I submitted and finished. I sent a thank you email and followed up a week later to see if they needed addition details. Some of my references weren’t responding so I sent additional references. I received a 2nd interview with the EVP and the VP of Compliance and it was smooth and conversational. I felt like this was the place and people for me. I received a “soft” offer about a week later that is dependent on the governor’s office approval

The hiring process was confusing. After the first interview, which seemed to go well, I was invited back for a second interview about a week later. This meeting was with the certification manager and the executive director. A few days after that, I was asked for references, and I provided them. I assumed an offer and start date would follow soon. However, after a week, I had to follow up via email. The hiring manager informed me that the executive director was still interviewing other candidates. This was over a year ago. I never got any communication about whether the job was filled or canceled. It was very unprofessional. I wouldn't recommend working with or doing business with this agency.

The interview process had three rounds. Right after the first interview, I had an edit test. The first interview was a panel interview with the Sr. HR Manager, the Social Media Marketing Director, and the Senior Digital Communications Manager. The second round was a one-on-one with the Social Media Marketing Director. The final round was with the Manager of Digital Analytics and the VP of Marketing. I felt like everything went well. They mentioned it would take about two months to decide on a candidate because of government approvals. However, after about a month, I hadn't heard anything, not even an email saying they chose someone else. I was left wondering for over two months if I got the job. I emailed them twice with no response, so I eventually gave up and assumed I didn't get it.